


The Great Gift Hunt

by ZippyZapmeister



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, That's it, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 08:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZippyZapmeister/pseuds/ZippyZapmeister
Summary: Maki learns a little lesson about gifting from the heart.





	The Great Gift Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for the Love Live! Secret Admirer event on tumblr! Gifting this to @aipacaas :D
> 
> I've never written this ship before :o but I really like it tbh! So I'm glad I got the opportunity.

Maki Nishikino had always despised Valentine’s Day. She knew that she wasn’t alone in the world. After all, a lot of people loathed the so-called holiday because they were always single. That was her sentiment as well, combined with seeing a bunch of other people drooling all over each other. However, for the first time, Maki didn’t hate Valentine’s Day because she didn’t have a valentine...

 

She hated it because she  _ did. _

 

The feeling of love had always been portrayed to her as a wonderland, filled with unending happiness and joy. But, in all truth, it was just stressful. Maki was rarely thrown into situations where she didn’t know what to do, but that’s exactly what her relationship with Rin was like. In fact, her girlfriend being Rin only made things worse. Rin was so eccentric and happy-go-lucky and always ready to try something new...but then there was Maki, terrified of the unknown. And, for the week of Valentine’s Day, the unknown just so happened to be Maki’s gift for Rin.

 

“You can’t just get chocolates,” Kotori had said, as if it were the most obvious thing. “If you’re already dating, it has to be something special. I’m making Umi-chan a new dress, for example. Chocolate just doesn’t cut it!”

 

But what else was Maki supposed to give her? What could somebody like Rin want that was also romantic? Rin probably would have been fine if Maki gave her a bucket of dirt, but Maki knew that wasn’t an appropriate gift for a holiday that was centered around love.  _ Maybe I  _ should  _ just get her chocolate. She’s not picky, _ Maki thought. However, that was a flimsy excuse for laziness, she knew that. Plus, Kotori was more well-versed in affairs of the heart, so Maki took her advice rather seriously.

 

It was the twelfth of February, and Maki was in the music room, sitting at the piano bench. She had been troubled ever since the first of the month, running ideas through her head over and over and never coming up with anything plausible. At least running her fingers over the keys gave her some comfort. 

 

Maki had just settled into the bench to play a song when the door flew open, bringing a very energetic kitty with it. “Maki-chan! Your gift is in the works, nya,” Rin sing-songed, sliding next to Maki on the bench. 

 

“Wh-what? You’ve decided already?”

 

“You haven’t? There’s only one more day,” Rin said, poking a couple of keys on the keyboard.

 

Unable to meet Rin’s gaze, Maki directed her eyes to Rin’s fingers. There was some chipped yellow polish from when Hanayo did her nails a few days before. Maki felt the urge to pick the rest of it off and do it over again. “What’s my gift? It better be good, if you’re bursting in here to yell about it.”

 

“‘Good’ isn’t even the half of it, nya!” Rin folded her arms, seeming rather proud of herself. Maki could have sworn she learned to look so smug from Nico. “It’s the best present you’ll ever see, Maki-chan! You’re gonna want to marry me on the spot, nya!”

 

Maki flushed. “I-it can’t be  _ that _ great.”

 

“It is! Or, it will be! I’m still making it.”

 

“Well, what is it?!”

 

“Can’t tell,” Rin said, quite simply. She hopped off of the piano bench then, with one more tap of the keys. “I don’t want you stealing my idea...”

 

“Why would I do that?! I-I’ve already got my gift,” Maki said, panicked. Her pride was one hell of a monster, but she refused to be shown up...even if she deserved it. “And it’s much better than yours! So, no, I don’t need to copy your stupid gift. I don’t even care what it is, now.”

 

Rin seemed to be catching on to Maki’s competitive nature, grinning. “Good! Then you’ll see it on Valentine’s Day. I hope you’ll be sitting down, nya...’cause you just might faint!”

 

Rin flounced out just as quickly as she came in, leaving the door open behind her (even though Maki  _ always _ insisted that she close it). Maki turned to the piano with a newfound determination, praying for a good idea to come to her. There was no way she could let Rin beat her! Not only that, but Rin really  _ did _ deserve a better gift than just some generic store-bought chocolates. Rin had seemed excited about her gift, and even more excited to give it to Maki.

 

Maki groaned and shoved the bench away from the piano, putting her face in her hands.  _ She’s putting her all into that gift of hers, isn’t she...? And here I am, not even knowing what to get. _ Maki clenched her fists, sitting up straight. She was going to have to do something she had never done before.

 

She was going to have to ask for help.

* * *

Although it seemed to be a bad decision on its own, Maki made her way to the Homura Bakery after leaving the music room that day. It was a choice made by the process of elimination: Nozomi would tease her. Nico would no doubt give an unbelievably unhelpful response. Eli would probably tell her something stupid like “follow your heart”. Kotori would give the same response as Eli. Umi would clam up. Hanayo would tell Maki to just  _ ask  _ Rin what she wanted...and Rin was certainly out of the question. So, unfortunately for Maki, that only left Honoka to go to for help.

 

Maki couldn’t really count on Honoka for advice, but what Honoka  _ did _ have was access to an entire bakery and all of its amenities. Kotori was right about chocolate being a fairly easy gift for your lover on Valentine’s Day, but a baked treat was something different altogether. It was original compared to some old heart-shaped box of chocolates, but still simple. It was foolproof.

 

Thankfully, when Maki walked in, Honoka was at the counter and not her mother. That would have been an awkward conversation to have. Honoka seemed bored, but perked up when she noticed Maki walking up to the counter. “Woohoo, Maki-chan’s here! I was starting to go nuts in here by myself.”

 

“I’m not exactly here to keep you company. I kinda need a favor.”

 

“Good enough! I’m always happy to help. What’s going on?” Honoka folded her arms across the counter and leaned forward, but Maki was looking at the display of treats in the window instead. Lots of treats of the breaded variety, but nothing that said “Rin”.

 

Maki finally looked up. Honoka was waiting rather patiently, something she didn’t do often. She must have  _ really _ been bored before Maki walked in... “I wasn’t sure what to get Rin for Valentine’s Day, so I thought I could get something from here instead.”

 

“Really? You seem like the type of person to be really good at giving gifts,” Honoka said.

 

“Usually, I am! But...Rin is different. She’s such a weirdo,” Maki mumbled. “Plus, she says her gift is-”

 

Honoka snickered. “The greatest thing ever? Yeah. She’s been telling everybody that. Good luck finding a gift to stack up to that! ...Not that I know what it is.”

 

“I don’t need luck. That’s why I’m here. Could you whip up something nice before Valentine’s Day, or what?”

 

Honoka’s cheerful expression faded. She tugged at the strap of her apron, looking around the bakery as if she were searching for an answer to something. Maki cleared her throat, and Honoka turned back to her, laughing nervously. “Uh...are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, I probably  _ could, _ but...that doesn’t really come from the heart, right?”

 

Maki furrowed her brow in both frustration and confusion. She thought she had found the perfect solution to her problem, but even though she didn’t understand what Honoka meant, she felt like it had been crushed right before her. “What do you mean? I’m getting it  _ for _ her. It’s a gift.”

 

“Yeah, but...” Honoka sighed wistfully, looking off at the ceiling. Maki was starting to get more than a little irritated by then.

 

“But, what?”

 

“Well, really, it’s  _ my _ gift to her. I’m back in the kitchen making it and stuff.”

 

“But I’m paying for it.”

 

“Your parents are paying for it, though...Maki-chan, what I’m  _ trying _ to say is, there’s no effort. You’re not really doing anything. No offense.”

 

“What?! But I...” Maki paused. Honoka had a point. Earlier in the day, hadn’t Rin said she was still making her gift? Crafting it with her own hands? And yet, there Maki was, trying to throw money at a bakery and call it a gift filled with love.  _ Damn it...as much as I hate to admit it, Honoka’s right. _ “Ugh. Fine. You can’t make anything, so what now?”

 

Honoka shrugged. “I wouldn’t have minded letting you come back and do it yourself any other time, but we’re kinda swamped with Valentine’s Day orders. Mom wouldn’t be happy about me letting you waltz back there...I could tell you the ingredients for something nice, and you can-”

 

“No, no, that won’t work out. I don’t know how to bake anything! I never have to cook!” Maki knew she was starting to sound like a spoiled brat, but she was upset with herself. Why was finding a gift so hard?  _ Rin’s gift better be made out of gold if I’m running myself this ragged to keep up with her! _ “I’ll just have to do something else.”

 

“I have some advice, if you want it-”

 

“No, thank you.”

 

“But you always take Kotori-chan’s and Umi-chan’s and Eli-chan’s and-”

 

“Okay, fine, fine,” Maki said quickly. She was willing to do whatever to get out of there so she could start thinking up a real gift. “What is it?”

 

Honoka took a deep breath, then raised a finger as if she were going to say something very wise. Maki had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. “Use your love as a tool.”

 

Maki stayed silent, waiting for Honoka to elaborate, but Honoka just finished her “advice” off with a curt nod. “Are you messing with me? Because this is serious!”

 

“No, I’m for real! Like...Valentine’s Day is all about love, right? Finding the gift isn’t just a chore, you know! It’s a way for you to show Rin-chan you love her! So...” Honoka wrapped her arms around herself real tight, making a face like she was constipated. “Squeeze real hard, _squeeze_ all of that love right out of you...then put into a gift!”

 

“That’s dumb. If I wanted to say I loved her, I could have just said that,” Maki deadpanned. She had kind of hoped that Honoka might have held the magic key to her finding a good gift, but she realized that she had put her eggs in the wrong basket. “Honoka, I’ve gotta go. The clock is ticking...”

 

“Well, good luck, alright? Rin will enjoy whatever you give her, since it’s from you,” Honoka said, grinning. Maki left without another word, feeling more defeated than she was when she came in.

 

As if fate was just determined to ruin her, as soon as Maki left the bakery, she heard her name being called. Usually, hearing Rin calling her filled her with happy butterflies, but at that moment, all she could feel was dread. Rin ran up to her, as fast as ever, bouncing on her toes when she finally stopped in front of Maki. “Maki-chan! I thought you said you were going home, nya!” Maki prepared to make up an excuse, but Rin was already moving on to something else. “Did you come to Homura Bakery for the chocolate chip cookies, too? Aren’t they the best?!”

 

“Uh...yeah. Yeah, I got a few...”

 

“Cool! Can I have one? I didn’t really bring any money.”

 

“Why would you come to the bakery if you...ugh, whatever. I ate all of mine, so...” Lying through her teeth, Maki dug through her bag and found some crumpled bills, giving them to Rin. “Here. Go nuts.”

 

“Thanks! I need all the energy I can get. I’m finishing up your gift tonight,” Rin said. “Are you ready? I hope you’ll like it. No, I  _ know _ you will, nya!”

 

Maki felt nauseous just talking to Rin. “Yeah. I will.”

 

Rin deflated, tilting her head. “Hey, are you okay? You seem kinda down.”

 

“I’m just tired, Rin...”

 

“Oh.” Rin pouted. She wasn’t the smartest cat on earth, but she certainly could read Maki’s emotions better than anybody else. Or, maybe Maki was just transparent. Rin was the hardest person to hide her emotions from. Maki really wanted to spill her guts right there, telling Rin what a terrible girlfriend she was, not even able to find a gift...but then Rin spoke. “Get some rest, alright?”

 

Rin wrapped Maki into a hug. Maki feebly hugged her back, then waved and headed off in the direction of home.

 

_ I don’t deserve her, do I...? _

* * *

Maki was up all night thinking of ideas for a gift, but by the time the next day rolled around, she still came up empty. She made her way through her classes like a zombie, not even bothering to raise her hand or participate at all. Part of her felt like she was making too big a deal out of it, but then she thought back to all of the nice things Rin had done for her, all of the lovely moments they had shared...there was no way Maki could leave all of that unrepaid.

 

Maki found herself back in the music room, plucking the keys just as aimlessly as yesterday. She played some familiar tunes, trying to cheer herself up, but it was borderline impossible. Even worse, Rin stopped by before she went home, cheerfully announcing that her gift was finished. By then, Maki just wanted to slam her face down on the keys.

 

Minutes after Rin left, Maki heard the door open. She didn’t even turn to face it, instead muttering, “Rin, I told you I’m busy.”

 

“What? I’m not Rin, stupid.”

 

For once, Maki was happy to see Nico over Rin. Perhaps Nico’s abrasive nature was just what Maki needed to knock her out of her slump. “Oh. What do you want, then? Come have a seat.”

 

Maki patted the bench next to her, and Nico’s face curled up. “You’re inviting me to sit with you? Are you finally going nuts?”

 

“Sit. Or don’t. Doesn’t matter to me,” Maki said, backtracking. She turned back to the piano, but didn’t play, unable to conjure up the drive. “Why are you here?”

 

“I was  _ going _ to go home...but I saw Rin on my way out. You should really put her on a leash,” Nico drawled. Maki wasn’t sure if people actually  _ put _ cats on leashes, but her mind was too focused on other things to correct Nico. “She started whining about how weird you’ve been acting lately and told me to come cheer you up. So, what’s your deal?”

 

Maki laughed wryly. Rin thinking that  _ Nico _ could cheer anybody up (without the use of her sugary-sweet idol persona, of course) was utterly laughable. “Rin’s my problem.”

 

Nico finally took her seat next to Nico, narrowing her eyes. “You don’t wanna...break up with her, do you?”

 

“What?! No!” Hearing the very words sent Maki into a state of shock.  _ What if...she breaks up with me, just because I can’t think of a good gift? Does that really mean I don’t love her...? No! Of course not, I know I do... _ “Although, breaking up with her might be the solution to my problem. I can’t think of a Valentine’s Day gift.”

 

“Oh. Is that all? I thought it was something serious!” Nico sighed dramatically and smiled, telling Maki that she was definitely about to say something stupid. “Don’t you worry. Nico knows  _ just _ what to do. All you have to do is show her your love!”

 

Maki wanted to explode. How the hell was she supposed to  _ do _ that? It was like being given a list of directions, but they were in a different language. “Honoka said the  _ exact same thing. _ But then again, what else would I expect from two idiots?”

 

“It’s valid advice, if you’d let me explain it. The holiday-”

 

“Is about love,” Maki cut in. “Yeah, yeah. I get that.”

 

“But...! Your love is unique to you two, right? Nobody has the same relationship you two have. For example...if my heart belonged to someoneーwhich would never happen, because idols belong to everybodyーbut if I  _ did, _ I would give them something only Nico could give,” Nico gushed. 

 

“I don’t have anything to give...”

 

Nico sighed, dropping the act and frowning. “Then, get something. Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.”

 

“I know that, Nico. Thanks for the time check. Very helpful.”

 

“Speaking of time...I’ve gotta go make my siblings dinner. Good luck with your low-level angst,” Nico snickered, hopping off of the bench. Maki would classify her angst as a bit more than low-level, but before she could argue, Nico was out of the door. And there Maki was again, alone with nothing but her thoughts, and a lot of love that had no place to go.

 

_ Something only  _ I  _ could give...what’s special about me? All I do is get good grades and play the piano. _

 

Maki stared down the piano again, letting her thoughts tangle up in each other. Her heart was starting to race. Did she feel an idea coming on? She was right: her piano was all she had. But that was enough, wasn’t it? What expressed her feelings better than a heartfelt love song? 

 

The breath that she was holding came out in a manic rush.  _ Okay, so I’ll make her a song! Agh, but lyrics, I can’t write lyrics...maybe Umi will make them for me. _ Maki nodded resolutely and stood up, then thought for a minute and sat back down. Had she ever felt so anxious?  _ No, no! Then it won’t be from me. I have to do everything. _

 

Maki dug into her bag and took out two pieces of paper: one for writing sheet music, and one for writing lyrics. All she could do was pray that her creative genius and love for Rin didn’t fail her when she needed them the most.

* * *

By the time Valentine’s Day finally came, after those stressful days leading up to it, Maki was finally starting to see the magic in the holiday. She had told Rin to bring her gift to the music room after school so that they could trade there, and just looking at the piano sent her into a whirlwind of emotion.

 

Maki whispered the words to the song to herself, surprised that she had memorized them so quickly. Although her words came from the heart and could have been easily paraphrased, Maki wanted to remember them down to the letter, wanted to capture what she was feeling as she wrote it. In all honesty, it was difficult for her to be so open, but if it was for Rin, she didn’t mind it.

 

Just as Maki was starting to lose her nerve (although she would never admit it), Rin came in, trying to maintain her calm. It seemed to be in vain, though. She was wiggling and squirming in place, standing in the doorway of the music room nervously. “There’s some more room in here, Rin,” Maki said, unable to hold back her smile.

 

“Uh, right!” Rin shuffled closer. “I’m done with my gift, but...”

 

“But?”

 

“Where’s yours, nya?”

 

Maki rolled her eyes. Of course Rin would get so worked up over receiving a gift. Knowing her, she was expecting a gift that could hardly fit in the room. “Don’t worry about it. I wanna see yours, first.”

 

That seemed to be good enough for Rin, who grinned widely and rushed over to the piano. Maki had the top down, so Rin set the box in her hands on top. When Maki looked closer, she realized it was merely a shoebox, with the brand name scratched off with black marker on the side. “Here it is! The bestest thing ever!”

 

“...Shoes?”

 

“No! Silly Maki-chan. It’s something tons better! Go on, open it up!”

 

Maki took the box and set it in her lap, flipping the lid up slowly. What she saw inside was...wildly unexpected, to say the least. On the bottom of the box there was a bunch of glitter atop a red paper lining, and a couple of mini-chocolates wrapped in foil. More shockingly, there were two clay figures: one was a misshapen orange cat, and the other was a lumpy tomato. Although the shapes could have used some work, Maki had to give Rin points for detail: there were two little round pieces of purple clay pushed into the tomato to give Maki eyes, and stripes painted on the tail of the cat. The tomato had a little frown and the cat was, of course, wearing a cat’s expression. They seemed to be facing each other, as if kissing, but Maki wasn’t sure if the box had gotten shaken up or if Rin had done that on purpose.

 

Maki was speechless, but Rin certainly wasn’t. “It’s totally the best thing ever, right, nya?! Really, Maki-chan, I don’t know if you could top that!”

 

The grumpy tomato broke its kiss with the grinning cat when Maki picked the tomato up, looking at it closely. Rin had even put some green on top for the leaves. The gift was so simple, so sloppily made, and, if Maki were being honest, rather hideous. And yet, Maki felt a strong affinity for it. It gave her a feeling of comfort, a feeling of warmth. “Rin,” Maki started, speaking softly so that Rin couldn’t hear the emotion in her voice. “What makes this the best gift ever?”

 

“You don’t like it...?”

 

“No! I do. I love it, alright? But, just answer me.”

 

“Huh. I don’t really know,” Rin said, her face twisting in confusion. “But, it’s me, and it’s you, so it can’t get any better, nya!”

 

Maki picked up the cat as well, and, subtly, made it kiss the tomato again. “Right...so your love for me is in these figurines. It’s something only you can give me.”

 

“Uh...I guess so? I do love you a lot.”  _ Maybe Honoka and Nico were right...is this all it takes to make a person happy? _ Maki looked up at the piano, feeling more confidence in her gift than she did before. “So, Maki-chan...I don’t wanna rush you, but-”

 

“Your gift.”

 

“Yeah. It’s here, right? Right?”

 

Maki sighed, placing the figurines back in the box before shutting it with care and setting it on the floor by her feet. The figurines would be set on top of her dresser (perhaps not kissing, since her parents tended to snoop), and she’d eat the chocolates later while thinking of Rin. “Alright, Rin. Here we go.” Maki lifted the lid to the piano. That was something she had done so many times before, but then, it made her feel more excited to play than ever. “I love you, Rin...so this is for you.”

 

And she began to play.


End file.
